@wizard kind of remember me of a Bible passage, maybe you are not into religion or spirituality, but there is a quote from Bible where God gives money to people, and this people is afraid of investing it, instead they saved it (buried it).
Then when they die, God analyses how good they did.
it's a lesson to give the best of your possibilities.
It is good you have connections, means you have good social skills in one part, and the other you have some good hard skills if you can get recommendations, because your contacts reputations is at risk if you are not very skilled.
Probably what afraid you is the feeling of not getting all this with your own effort but i believe that we have to start valuating our social connections.
Because the soft skills now are very valuated everywhere.